Taylor was one of the lone bright spots in yesterday’s loss to Merrimack, frequently showing an aggressive instinct that his entire team could never consistently produce. He assisted the last goal of the game, scored by Andrew Lederman with 11.4 seconds left.

Also enjoying a chance in front of the local crowds was fellow freshman Dave Watters, from Eden Prairie, who skated in senior Rob Flynn’s stead on the fourth line and scored his team’s second goal 6:02 into the third frame.

“Anytime you lose, it’s definitely not fun,” Watters said after notching his first collegiate goal. “No matter how well you do individually, it’s still a team game.”

ALONG THE BOARDS

Harvard scored once in four man-advantage situations against Merrimack. This showing, combined with a 0-for-2 performance the previous afternoon against Northern Michigan, drops the Crimson’s conversion rate to 23.1 percent, still good enough for sixth in the country...Harvard is last in the country in penalty minutes per game with just 13.3 averaged per game…Yesterday marked the first meeting between Harvard and the Warriors, both Boston-area schools. Crimson assistant coach Bobby Jay graduated from Merrimack in 1988.

—Staff writer Rebecca A. Seesel can be reached at seesel@fas.harvard.edu.